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    Adam Bell’s findings will be crucial to the Star Sydney’s future profitability.

    Star bidders need to answer one big question

    That the stricken Star would attract potential bidders is no surprise. But there’s one question buyers will struggle to answer.

    • James Thomson
    A guitar-shaped hotel tower anchors the remade and expanded Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino near Hollywood, Florida.

    Star suitor Hard Rock knows a thing or two about the mass market

    If a deal proceeds, there’s every chance casinos in Sydney and Queensland will look very different. Just look at their guitar-shaped Florida palace.

    • Primrose Riordan and Zoe Samios
    Lawyers for former Star boss Robbie Cooke said he was operating under the instruction of a “hands-on” board of directors.

    Former Star CEO accuses board of being involved in regulator stoush

    The barrister representing Robbie Cooke has told an inquiry the company’s directors “cannot escape” - they were part of the rift with the NSW casino authorities.

    • Zoe Samios
    Star’s Sydney casino in Pyrmont is in the spotlight as Adam Bell, SC, considers whether the company should be given its gaming licence back.

    Star shares surge after casino confirms Hard Rock interest

    The company has “received inbound interest” from several parties even as it faces the loss of its lucrative Sydney gaming licence.

    • Zoe Samios
    Hard Rock operates dozens of venues around the world, including several large casinos such as The Mirage in Las Vegas.

    Hard Rock Cafe pitches Star rescue plan

    The Florida entertainment giant is considering taking control of Star Entertainment with a proposal that would inject more capital into the struggling gaming group.

    • Zoe Samios
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    This Month

    AUSTRAC identified potential serious compliance concerns at SkyCity Adelaide.

    SkyCity agrees to $67m penalty as licence decision looms

    The case was based on allegations the company allowed high-risk patrons to gamble more than $4 billion in dirty cash through its casino.

    • Zoe Samios
    Aristocrat’s Trevor Croker is bullish about the company’s prospects in North America.

    Aristocrat pops as pokies giant takes share in lucrative US market

    Shares soared nearly 12 per cent after it rewarded shareholders with a 6¢ increase to its fully franked interim dividend. It expects to continue to grow there.

    • Zoe Samios
    Barrister Bret Walker said the sins of Star were in the past and should not be used to determine the suitability.

    Star Entertainment makes last-ditch argument to keep casino licence

    Bret Walker, SC, appearing for the company, condemned the “deplorable” behaviour of former executives who an inquiry heard went to war with the regulator.

    • Zoe Samios
    The Star Entertainment Group’s future is in the hands of Adam Bell, SC, who is due to determine whether it should stay open.

    Casino regulator bans Star staff from tables over collusion

    The NSW Independent Casino Commission has banned the two employees from operating games in the state for a decade.

    • Zoe Samios
    Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the report about Sportsbet was ‘deeply concerning’.

    Labor slams the NRL’s ‘deeply concerning’ Sportsbet tie-up

    Communications Minister Michelle Rowland is deciding what to do with recommendations from an online gambling inquiry, including a blanket advertising ban.

    • Zoe Samios
    Chef Tetsuya Wakuda at his restaurant Tetsuya’s in Sydney.

    Star Entertainment implosion leads to closure of fine diner Tetsuya’s

    The relationship between the casino’s former CEO and chief financial officer deteriorated over an unnamed “material” project, a NSW inquiry heard last month.

    • Zoe Samios
    Left to right: Arthur Laundy, owner of Laundy Hotels, Melbourne Cup winning jockey Kerrin McEvoy, Sky Racing presenter Kiersten Duke, TAB’s Brenden Varcoe

    Tabcorp recruits Laundy in pub fight

    The ASX-listed wagering group will upgrade its betting terminals and broadcast displays across the Laundy Hotels portfolio, but lock its rival out.

    • Zoe Samios
    Laurence Escalante on one of his boats in Perth.

    Gambling mogul lists superyacht at $10m, starts retailing supercars

    A spokesman for Laurence Escalante’s private office said the sales were part of a new business venture.

    • Primrose Riordan
    The Star superyacht moored at Marina Mirage on the Gold Coast on Tuesday morning.

    Star Entertainment’s luxury yacht fire sale finds way to Federal Court

    The family office of a wealthy Cypriot businessman has accused the gaming group of reneging on a sales agreement, and wants millions of dollars in compensation.

    • Max Mason and Zoe Samios
    The Star Sydney is the centre of an inquiry that threatens to destabilise its owner.

    Blood in the water: Star needs a CEO to stop sharks tearing it apart

    Star’s board, beaten and bruised, has a short window to try to keep the entity together. If it misses this, sharks will move in. They’re already circling.

    • Updated
    • Anthony Macdonald
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    Star Casino’s debt is being shopped around to potential buyers.

    Star Entertainment debt investor tries offloading stake

    At least one lender is feeling nervous after the list of executives leaving Star got bigger, and its shares fell 20 per cent in the past month.

    • Jonathan Shapiro and Zoe Samios
    ClubsNSWis dealing with the fallout of a data breach of a third-party IT provider.

    Man arrested in Sydney’s west over clubs data breach

    Disgruntled software developers who claim not to have been paid are being blamed for releasing details of more than 1 million pub and club patrons in NSW.

    • Updated
    • Max Mason, David Marin-Guzman and Zoe Samios
    Gone but not forgotten: Former Star Entertainment CEO Robbie Cooke and executive chairman David Foster.

    Star chief’s sacking reveals boardroom exit wounds

    “There is a narrative behind every departure,” former Star boss Robbie Cooke says. Unfortunately for Cooke, we’ve been given a rare glimpse into his.

    • Anthony Macdonald

    April

    David Foster was removed as chairman of Star over the weekend.

    Board ousts Star chairman as inquiry blowback continues

    David Foster will be replaced by director Anne Ward. She was one of the few directors who wanted former CEO Robbie Cooke to step down in December.

    • Updated
    • Zoe Samios
    Steve McCann left Crown Resorts in better shape than what he found it. Is he up for a new challenge?

    Is this the person to save fallen Star Entertainment?

    The clean-up of the gaming company is one for the ages. And there’s a name keeps coming up as a potential salvage CEO - former Lendlease boss Steve McCann.

    • Updated
    • Anthony Macdonald

    The Australian Financial Review Magazine

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    Kmart and Target managing director Ian Bailey: “The journey we’ve been on for many years is really moving from being a retailer to being a product company.”

    Life & Leisure

    The Eastern & Oriental Express passes through the landscapes of Malaysia.

    Rich List